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Chemung County, NY

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
93
7% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$132,100
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+30.5%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$1,020
national $1,348
Homeownership
70%
national 65%
Unemployment
3.6%
national 3.6%
Household income
$63,469
national $78,538
Median age
41.9 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the metro-area price level for Elmira, NY.

The cost of living runs about 7% below the national average. The median home is valued at $132,100 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 31% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $1,020 a month. Unemployment averaged 3.6% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $63,469. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Chemung County, NY saw a net loss of 179 tax-filing households and a net loss of 275 individuals. Against a population of about 81,325, that is a net outflow of about 3.4 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area lost $32.2M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 284 households, came from Steuben County; the largest outflow, about 273 households, went to Steuben County. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net loss of 261 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
-$32.2M
nominal dollars
Net households
-179
tax returns
Net people
-275
exemptions

-3.4 net people per 1,000 residents (population 81,325)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$85.5M
Moved out$117.7M
Net -$32.2M (nominal)
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Chemung County within New York

Chemung County is outlined, with arrows tracing its largest moves to and from other New York counties. Hover any county for its figures; click to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
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Where movers came from

  1. 1Steuben County, NY284$15.9M
  2. 2Tioga County, NY114$4.5M
  3. 3Bradford County, PA87$3.5M
  4. 4Schuyler County, NY82$3.9M
  5. 5Tompkins County, NY71$4.3M
  6. 6Tioga County, PA45$1.9M
  7. 7Broome County, NY42$2.1M
  8. 8Monroe County, NY36$1.6M
  9. 9Erie County, NY27$1.4M
  10. 10Onondaga County, NY24$991K
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Where movers went

  1. 1Steuben County, NY273$16.4M
  2. 2Tioga County, NY101$3.8M
  3. 3Bradford County, PA92$4.6M
  4. 4Schuyler County, NY76$4.9M
  5. 5Monroe County, NY57$3.3M
  6. 6Tompkins County, NY46$5.3M
  7. 7Erie County, NY45$2.7M
  8. 8Broome County, NY43$2M
  9. 9Onondaga County, NY30$1.2M
  10. 10Tioga County, PA30$1.4M
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Churn by county · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

Steuben County, NY284273+11-$480K
Tioga County, NY114101+13+$746K
Bradford County, PA8792-5-$1.1M
Schuyler County, NY8276+6-$1M
Tompkins County, NY7146+25-$979K
Monroe County, NY3657-21-$1.7M
Broome County, NY4243-1+$143K
Tioga County, PA4530+15+$506K
Erie County, NY2745-18-$1.3M
Onondaga County, NY2430-6-$160K
Queens County, NY20

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: -$266.8M (-4,788 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012-$11.7M-76
2013-$19.3M-770
2014-$20.5M-361
2015-$16.3M-149
2016-$21.6M-620
2017-$31.5M-724
2018-$21.8M-334
2019-$13.7M-210
2020-$29.7M-514
2021-$31.3M-494
2022-$17.2M-261
2023-$32.2M-275
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 275 more people left Chemung County, NY than moved in (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net loss of about $32.2M in income (nominal) — in a county of 81,090 people.

Population
81,090
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
-3.4
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about -34 people.
Net income per resident
−$397
nominal dollars
-$32.2M total across 81,090 residents.

The rate lets you compare Chemung County, NY with a countyof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the county’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+763
Deaths
-1,134
Net domestic migration
-150
Net international migration
+95
Total change
-445

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Chemung County, NY run about 7% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $108 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$54,020
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
23% below the U.S. average
Price level
92.7
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 7.3% lower than average
What that income buys
$58,287
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
17% below the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

Cost of living shown for the Elmira, NY metro area (BEA publishes price parities by metro, not by county).

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Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents67.6
Goods97.4
Utilities130.2
Other services99.2

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

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Who lives here

The people of Chemung County, NY

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
41.9
years
Median household income
$63,469
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
19% below the U.S. median
College degree
27%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
15.8%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
20 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
87%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 84%Hispanic 4%Black 6%Asian 2%Other 5%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$132,100
owner-occupied homes
56% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$1,020
gross rent per month
24% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
70%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+3.3%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+31%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
79new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 32%Multifamily 68%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
3.6%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
35,840
34,533 employed
Disaster declarations
major federal, 2023

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
3.9%
April 2026 · ▲ 0.5 points vs April 2025
January 2024April 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this county, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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How Chemung County, NY has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
202415,57221,861127R +16.737,560
202016,63621,9221,153R +13.339,711
201613,75720,0972,265R +17.636,119
201216,20516,1382,667D +0.235,010
200818,88819,364443R +1.238,695
200416,63920,7421,694R +10.539,075
200017,42418,7791,507R +3.637,710

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

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